Ludhiana, March 16
“Open-heart surgery has become common place, but I feel that there should be a strict code of conduct by the Medical Council of India (MCI) or by the Cardiac Society of India (CSI) on the centres and institutes that perform such surgeries so that a minimum standard is maintained”. These views were expressed by Dr T.S. Kler, Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiology and chief of the Department of Pacing and Electrophysiology, Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi who was in the city recently. He was here to implant a unique device — the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) for the first time in Punjab, on a heart patient at the Hero Dayanand Heart Institute here.
In an interview with Ludhiana Tribune, Dr Kler revealed that this unique device was 99 per cent successful in controlling the problems of ventricular tacky cardia and ventricular fibrillation, the two main reasons for cardiac arrest. Dr Kler claimed that he was the first person to implant the ICD in South East Asia in 1995 at Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi. He said 50 per cent of the patients of heart diseases die due to these two reasons. “Though the device is costly yet we can save 50 per cent of the heart patients. In India, one ICD device costs between Rs 4.5 and 9 lakh”, said Dr Kler.
The renowned cardiologist, who hails from Khamano Mandi, feels that it is unfortunate that a number of patients with heart problems die because of their being unable to bear the cost of the treatment. He suggested that medical community with the help of NGOs and other social organisations should organise several awareness programmes regarding the heart problems. They should spread message of prevention of CAD as the incidence of the disease had showed alarming increase among Indians in the recent years. People should religiously follow a strict exercise pattern to avoid heart problems.
Dr Kler said it was unfortunate that in India, 10 per cent of people aged above 40 years suffered from CAD. “One of the reason for this is the poor dietary pattern. They take cholestrol-rich diet and hardly perform any physical activity”, maintained Dr Kler.
Dr Kler also said as compared to women, men were more prone to heart diseases. “There are rare chances that women upto the age of 45 years get CAD, but after 40-45 years, they can also suffer from heart problems like men”.
